Efficiency
by lookingforthestars
Summary: Walter and Paige admire each other's efficiency.


**AN: This is based off a Tumblr prompt by luvmesomepie. Just something light and goofy, hope you enjoy it!**

Walter is efficient, and Paige has found that it really works for her.

After too many years of dating men who were _just about to go out and don't have time to make a phone call_ or _had a really long day at work_ (as if she didn't) _and will get around to vacuuming sometime this week_ (as in, never) or _in the middle of watching the game and can't someone else pick Ralph up?_ (sure, she'll just call on her standing army of servants), there is something undeniably refreshing about his ability to get things done.

As soon as Walter sets his mind to something, it's as good as finished. Twelve days ago, when Ralph ran into the garage and interrupted Walter's work on his rocket, chattering animatedly about a science project he had due, Walter put down his wrench, led Ralph to a table, and drew a set of detailed schematics. Twenty-four hours later, Ralph showed her, with immense pride, the sound wave machine they built together.

In fact, Paige knows that the only thing holding Walter back from peak efficiency is her and Ralph, and she feels a twinge of guilt thinking about how he might have found the cure for MS and about twenty other diseases if he wasn't constantly distracted by them. But she sees the way Walter's eyes light up when Ralph asks him for help, and the way that Walter smiles at her when—well, whenever he looks at her—and she knows that he doesn't mind.

And when she brings up a robotics camp she believes Ralph would like and asks Walter what he thinks, he requests the information from her and promises to research it more thoroughly. The next morning, Paige walks into the garage to find Walter leaning against her desk, holding up a printout.

"I sent in the deposit for the camp. Ralph starts on June 10th," he says as soon as he sees her.

Normally, she would chastise him for not saying 'good morning,' but she's too taken aback. "Walter, I just asked you to look into it and give me your opinion. Not to enroll him."

He studies her for a moment, clearly surprised, but he can tell she isn't angry and relaxes his tense shoulders. "I determined that the camp would be a good fit for Ralph's interests and abilities. You were clearly on board with the idea, so the most efficient solution was to initiate the process."

Paige wants to smile, but she bites her lip. She feels like she should be angry about him overstepping his boundaries, or something similar from all those parenting blogs she's read, but she can never overlook the fact that Walter wants what's best for Ralph. "But you paid the deposit. That's not fair. It isn't your job to pay for it, it's mine."

Walter straightens up and looks at her earnestly. She knows that making direct eye contact can be difficult for him, but he always does it when he wants to make his point clear. "No, I didn't. Scorpion is paying for this camp. Ralph is one of us, and—eventually, if he's willing—he's going to be a Scorpion employee. It only makes sense to invest in his skills now, which will benefit the team later on."

Paige opens her mouth to argue, but Walter is a genius and although she stands up to him when she needs to, she's smart enough not to start unnecessary battles. "Fine. It's an investment."

Walter's tone softens once she relents, and he smiles in that way that seems to be—or at least, she hopes it is—just for her. "Then it's settled."

Paige hears Happy and Toby coming in through the front door, their laughter echoing off the walls of the garage. Walter pushes himself off of her desk and starts to walk away, but Paige grabs his forearm and stops him.

He doesn't say anything, just raises an eyebrow at her, and she lets go, feeling a little flushed. "I was thinking…maybe when I pick Ralph up from school, you could come with me and tell him about the camp yourself. Since, you know, it's related to his future as a Scorpion employee."

She tries to make her voice sound matter-of-fact, but she knows she can't hide the happiness she's feeling. Walter can't disguise the smile in his voice either when he replies, "Okay."

* * *

Paige is efficient, and it's just one of the many things that crosses Walter's mind when he thinks about her.

There was a time, quite recently, when Walter believed in nothing but efficiency. But it didn't take much interaction with normals to realize that they knew how to waste time and energy with incredible skill, and if he wanted to connect with them at all, he would have to loosen the reins a bit.

But Paige, even as a normal, knows how to get things done. The unmanageable stack of paperwork on her desk every morning (paperwork is a chore even Walter will find himself procrastinating on) is completed, double-checked and filed neatly at the end of the night. For the first time in Scorpion's brief but tumultuous history, all of their bills are paid on time. Ahead of time, even. Two months ago, she walked them all through the process of filing taxes and gave them daily reminders so that no one (especially Toby) would forget (or conveniently 'forget,' also in Toby's case). The refrigerator is consistently stocked with food and the team eats three times a day, not even protesting anymore when Paige throws produce in their direction.

It's her efficiency that makes the team work. Before her, they were four geniuses who didn't know how to function in the world. They rely on her. They need her.

He knows that that the team gave Paige a job, showed her how to connect with Ralph, kept her life…interesting, to say the least. But he wishes there was more he could do to thank her for making Scorpion what he always dreamed it would be. So when she mentions that she wants to send her son to a robotics camp, Walter sees an opportunity to repay a part of the debt he knows he owes her. He covers the deposit, explaining to Paige that it's an efficient solution, but deep down he knows that it will make her and Ralph happy, and that's what he really wants.

Walter isn't as efficient as he used to be—most of the things he does for Paige's benefit are a waste of time and energy, and he does them almost on instinct now—but he and Paige, together, make a pretty good team.

And he knows that the most efficient decision would be to express himself, to tell her the truth. It's painfully inefficient to dance around his feelings for her, to allow possible scenarios and words he can't say to consume his mind every night, rendering him overwhelmed and sleepless.

Walter resolves he's going to change that.


End file.
